Half Eaten Heart
by Nana Ean
Summary: So it Started on her third birthday. What if Hinata was really captured on that day? What would her life be like? What would Naruto be like? ' It was like a gift wrapping really. Unwrapping the cloth awarded him with the eyes of the richest lavender. Framed by lashes that complimented it.'
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Head

The name ANBU has been forever attached with fear. More silent than a spider crawling, more silent than death. The shadow to Konoha's bright flame; only meant for assassinations and other dirty jobs. A necessary evil. They were Konoha's night guards. Rarely seen at night. But once seen you could hardly forget the sight. Those expressionless masks...those hollow eyes...more prominent, that aura of death.

Noiseless as death he flew through the thick woods. His body was occasionally seen flying past in the starlight. The sky was as dark it could get, cloudy with infrequent stars. He loved the night, because it let him be himself. His mask was more like his skin and his bare face was more like a mask. Or so he thought. Night was a perfect time for killing. Maybe that was another reason why he liked the night. The catch today was exciting. Normally the Hokage would send five ANBU. But he was far from normal. He was more than enough. He grinned a deathly smile in the privacy of his mask.

He'd started as a weakling. Looking back he was proud of his growth. But hate was all he got. So, hell with the village, hell with the Hokage and hell with him. He chose a job he was good at: Killing.

Uchiha Sasuke had returned home. But with it Orochimaru had run off to Kumo to find a new host. A potentially stronger host. Orochimaru was Konoha's responsibility. So the Hokage had decided to silence him off forever. This is where the ANBU entered. The ANBU had sent him to clean off the entire base. Host, no host. It did not matter to him.

A small muted thud and he landed on the ground. Before him lay a small group of rolling hills. But the inside story was different. It was a supposed Orochimaru hideout.

He activated his jutsu. He felt his chakra mix up with the natural energy around. And like a spider's web his sensory widened. He let the natural chakra flow into any creek it could find in the hill. He sensed everything in touch with the natural energy... the rocks, the soil and most importantly the people...

Orochimaru's hideout, true to his style, was entirely underground. The place had three wings: a training wing, a living quarter, and a fucking lab. They were connected via huge round corridors notifying that the base had been made in haste using Manda's help. Fifty two people lay inside, according to his sensory web. But the fifty-second person could either be dead or barely alive. The ANBU extended the fringe of his sensory and carefully checked his vitals. Barely. Fifty- one then.

He sliced a slab of soil from the side of the hillock. And stealthily entered the base. The empty echo of his footsteps greeted him. The candles lighting the hallway flickered at the presence of breeze. He closed the entrance and proceeded. The ANBU had it in mind the first place to attack would be the empty training grounds. It had the weapons. To destroy weapons first was a great idea. Two guards at the entrance.

Hachiro was a lucky bastard. He was neither too strong to be Orochimaru's host nor weak enough to be casted away. He had the record amongst guards of having killed sixty seven shinobis. But today his good fortune would run out. Since unfortunately he was assigned for guard today. And more unfortunate was the fact that he was the _second_ kill of the lethal ANBU lurking in the darkness. It meant that he had the awful opportunity to see his death coming, unlike his partner, who didn't even realise when his head tumbled down. He saw the string, thin as a spider's web wound around his neck. But his fear was short lived. He was dead the next second.

_4 fucking seconds._

The ANBU congratulated himself for breaking his own record. He grinned satisfactorily as he made way to destroy the weapons after putting a mild genjustu in work.

Weapons destroyed.

The sleeping quarters then. Seven guards along the hallway. This was rather different. Genjustu wasn't his stronghold. He brooded in the darkness for a moment. Then the decision was made. A small can rolled down the hallway. The hallway was filled with smoke the next second. He silently thanked Sakura for minimising the can's size. It was simple. In her words at least. She'd simply maximised the effect of the sleep-inducing drug used inside. Leaving the technical things aside, the ANBU concentrated on the sleeping guards. A kunai in the carotid artery. Swift and easy.

Eight seconds. Damn he was getting slow.

Now what were left were the forty-two sleeping bastards. This was a labour requiring mass.

"Kage bushin no jutsu."

The four bushin dispersed at his command. One minute thirty-three seconds and forty-two kills later he proceeded to the lab.

To be safe, he started by checking the other side of the door using his extra sense. The fifty- second person was here.

The door opened as quietly as possible. The lab had aisles and aisles of specimen. What had he expected anyway?

A double headed snake. A rattler. A huge one which looked like a cobra. Something that was like a mamba but not really.

Snakes. SNAKES. SNAKES. Ugh!

The end of the aisles had another row of 'somethings'. His 'sense' told him it was some sort of huge cylindrical pillars. His eyes told him what they were.

Huge glasses bottling human specimen. People floating in green tinted water. He did feel something like sympathy. After all, he was somewhat like an experiment of Konoha. A freak. But his hardened heart didn't allow any more emotion.

The half-dead human was in the corner. Inside a cage. He let his chakra feel the body.

A boy. Just a boy. A boy in his early teens.

He was probably a test subject. The neat blindfold that covered his eyes was somewhat confusing. Was he the _'all powerful host'_ Orochimaru was rearing?

A thrust of chakra and the lock was broken. He walked close enough to see the captor's features. He let his sense feel him.

He was dying. The chakra was now non-existent.

Then there was a spike of chakra. If it could be compared to light, then it could be close to a few thousand candelas. It disoriented his 'sense'. For a while. Hot white pain shot through his abdomen.

_Chakra needle._ A damn long one. Could be passed as a spear. In his abdomen. The attacker was at the moment fleeing the place.

"I'll catch you teme!"

**Two day's later...**

"Hokage-sama. Jei reporting."

"Hmm. Three days. That's fast. I don't know whether to praise you for your hard work or scold you for being a workaholic. Not that I have complains..."

"Anything Hokage-sama."

So much for formality...

"So what is in the report?"

"I cleaned everything except the specimen." He tossed a scroll towards her.

"How many?"

"Hundreds of animals and twelve human ones."

"Any signs of Orochimaru?"

"None. Even Kabuto was missing. I apologize for the inconvenience."

Tsunade frowned. What wrong with his temperament?

"You are not a machine."

"You are right. I'm a weapon."

Tsunade frowned further.

"Do you need a trip to the counsellor?" she threatened. Everybody feared the red-eyed woman known as 'counsellor'.

"I'm alright."

"Goooood. You are dismissed."

The ANBU jumped out of the window. So much for the door.

"Shizune."

"Hai!"

"Send a medic to his home. The boy is injured."

-X-

**Authors note:**

Soooooo. how was it ?

this is my first naruto fanfiction. i have another draft prepared but its shit. hope u like it

Love Ya all


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Konichiwa Minna-san! Thank you for all the favourites and following and reviews. It fuels me up! Here's another chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto (but I wish I did...)**

**Chapter two: The Blind one**

I've been aware for what seems a very long time. It was the moment I felt the natural chakra around me stir and move. I'm doing what I should: holding my breath, movements and chakra.

The sounds I'm hearing are not surprising. I've heard them before. But this is different...it isn't the sound of 'fight'; which usually included angry shouts, kunais clashing, and the splash of blood on the floor.

This time there is only blood. And someone is breathing out jutsu names. Then there are hollow steps. Someone running, the person's feet barely touching the ground because of speed.

It occurs to me that this is the sound of 'murder'.

Someone was killing everyone in the camp. I'm waiting, since waiting is all I can do. I hear the death of each person; my scalp prickles in dread thinking I'll be the next one.

But as time passes, I realise that I'll be the last one.

He's walking now and the tap of his shoe on the ground is nearing. He's an unfamiliar person. A Stranger.

His tapping stops. He is beyond the door. I turn all my senses in his direction. My death is eminent, but here I am preparing to defend myself.

A wave of chakra covered me like fog. Such conceited chakra...it felt almost like natural chakra. But ultimately it wasn't. Someone was moulding it...controlling it.

The stranger stepped forward and the door creaked open a bit too loudly, or it was because my heightened senses.

The footsteps are nearing. And the chakra is thick.

Then I hear a sound. The lock of my cage breaking.

I know now. This is my chance. The chakra in my hand flares. He's just a feet away. I thrust myself forward. And before I know it my chakra spear has landed where it's supposed to: His stomach.

I run off.

He screams something at me.

I'm crazy.

I'm blind.

How can I even make it outside this lab when I cannot see?

There is no one to help me now.

But I dash. But the stranger is behind. I can hear his foot steps. And I can feel something else. It appeared only for a moment but it was surely there. An evil chakra. I know what it is!

No time to think now.

I slide my hands along the wall for support. The walls are of soil. And my bare feet are feeling sore because of the rough terrain. I'm sure I'm bleeding out there. But couldn't stop could I? The wall curves and I know that the tunnel is turning.

"Brat!"

_He's here!_

My left wrist is in his hands. I try to gather chakra, but he pulls me violently towards him. Before I could anticipate anything, my sternum hits against something. Something hard. His fist probably.

The world shifts and I'm on the floor. My bones are aching. I mustn't complain. I've endured more than this. I silently hope that he's done with me. But my hopes are crushed by his footsteps. The earth is a better medium than air. Now his steps sound loud...declaring my death.

**A/n: so how was it? Any comments? Any complains? Please read and review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: Konichii-wa Minna-san! Here's another chapter.**

**I've made some changes in the background story for my convenience. First thing is that pain has not attacked Konoha yet, and Hinata was captured when she was 3 years old ...well that's all!**

Key:

_Thoughts_ or _words with emphasis._

*Actions*

**Chapter three: The break-in.**

*drag* *drag* *drag*

He was slightly pouting (it could be detected only with a byakugan) AND dragging his feet.

No. His legs weren't tired yet (he hadn't gone to mission for ages!)

No. He wasn't the lazy kind of guy (like Shikamaru).

But he was dreading this journey and maybe... (subconsciously)...he was doing it to irritate Sakura.

Yes. He was acting _exactly_ like a sulking kid demanding his mother's attention

Oblivious to all this (unfortunately), Sakura had her arms linked to his and was humming cheerfully. And was bright as a Sunday morning. Total opposite.

_Opposites attract..._

He pushed aside that thought. Scratch that! He flung it off. Really far off. Right now he had things to do, people to get angry at, certain things to dread at...

_Where are we going?_

"Where are we going?" he had meant to say it out loud but something ate up his words...and turned them into a sulky, under-the-breath grumbling. He felt a part of his pride chip off...

The Kunoichi hummed a question. He wasn't sure whether she'd turned deaf voluntarily to irk him or she hadn't heard him for real. Those wide innocent eyes made him believe in the latter. He couldn't be sure but. He had recently observed that Sakura was no longer the 'crazy fan girl'. She'd (in his absence) grown into a 'confident, strong and _sly_ woman'.

"Where are we going?" he asked again. He knew the answer obviously. The path beneath his feet were screaming it to him.

"Naruto's place." The answer. The dread which had been halfway, hit him in full swing. His opposed to the idea; his feet going slow the instant the word was out.

"Don't complain. Hokage-sama's orders." she said with such gleam in her eyes that he wouldn't have complained even if it weren't Hokage's order...

"Hn." But he totally despised it.

"And also you've been avoiding Naruto for days."

Things weren't too well between him and Naruto after the Orochimaru shit. Well things weren't good even before that...

They stood before the gate. The name plate beside it said 'Namikaze'. After his eighteenth birthday Naruto had legally become the heir of the Namikaze _and_ Uzumaki estates. Rich fella...

_However the couple was unaware of the ongoing battle inside the four walls of Naruto's bedroom..._

He didn't know why he was even bothered. He could, and most definitely he should plant a kunai in the boy's head or heart and end all this...all this nonsense. But no! His heart had decided to beat a different tune during his mission and he'd let a prisoner escape. And now karma slapped hard in his face; the bastard had followed him to Konoha. Is this what he got for a good deed?

_And how the had he even got past the guards? _

He had decided not to use chakra. And his choice came with a price. His opponent was quiet athletic (contrary to his previous estimation) and highly flexible. And as a result he had received various elbow jabs, punches and pokes in the eye. And now he was on the floor because apparently, the young teen before him had decided that his knee needed to say hello to the older one's groin in violent, sadistic ways. He was an ANBU for Kami's sake! But then being an ANBU didn't mean that he had steel balls. Guts of steel...yes. Balls of steel ...no.

He stood up after his 'situation' was over. Standard 'knee-to-groin'? Pathetic! (It was painful and _very_ useful, but he would never admit it). He overwrote his decision to not to use chakra.

"Kage bushin no jutsu." He sent four of them to catch the limbs. Coz he was no way going near that savage.

He watched in amusement as one clone flew to the wall. One exploded.

_Why was this happening?_

Let's reel back...

So the boy forms some attachment to him as he freed him. Then follows him to his home. Then why attack? Was the boy so repulsed at the one moment of kindness he had shown that he'd come here to repay him?

_No..._

Of course! The boy didn't recognize his presence. His ANBU nature was entirely different than his normal one. What a genius answer after struggling about half an hour with the peanut called his brain. And he was supposed to be a fuckin' ANBU!

Then after sacrificing some twelve clones, he finally settled the raging beast.

He took a moment to evaluate the damage done.

His poor room.

Curtains torn, pillows sliced, floorboard scratched.

He walked to his prisoner with some hint of anger. This was his family's estate! Not some cluttered flat...

He hovered over his prisoner, who was spread like a star on his bed, each limb held neatly, _securely_ by a clone.

"Look what you did." he said sighing. His prisoner's thin lips tightened over ultra-white teeth. Then came a rude threatening hiss. Less like a snake. More like a cat.

This was new.

_Could he not talk? _

His suspicion grew with the number of hisses his captor was giving. His skin was grey, or was it the darkness of his room?

Was he even human? His thought didn't seem so far off.

Was Orochimaru a semi-biologist?

_Yes._

Was he crazy?

Nuts?

Wild?

_Yes, yes and yes!_

Could this boy be some sort of bizarre hybrid?

_Evidently so._

Then the hisses turned into something rough. Harsh. Something glowed on the boy's sternum. A seal? He would've recognized it anywhere. It was his favorite. Apparently he wasn't the only one keeping up appearances...

_(__**Author's note**__: and dear readers did I tell you that transformation seals go on self-destruct if the wielder overuses his/her chakra (isn't it true for all seals?). BTW, 'transformation seals' are of my own making ;)_

_Transformation seals are made on paper and embed themselves beneath the skin. Its power depends on the maker. It can transform face, hair, height, age, and if the creator is sly enough...even smell)_

The palm sized paper was now out of his skin. The older teen took hold of the burning piece of paper. Thennnnn...

Then he came to know how wrong he was!

The limbs lengthened. And changed shape. The hips..._widened?_ The hair was growing at a _tremendous_ rate. And and and..!

Sakura didn't know what was wrong with her blonde team mate lately. He seemed so...different? Distant? _Cold?_ Worry chewed bits of her mind as she thought about his 'tenant'. Was the demon finally getting to Naruto?

So with a head full of worry, she pressed the buzzer...or that's what she was about to do when the door was flung wide open by the resident.

And she came face to face with a very shocked and frightened Naruto. He was slack-jawed, with wild hair and his black tee torn in many parts. And finally, a huge blush on his face.

His lips moved and he made some attempt to speak out words. But all she heard was some mumbling.

"B..."

"Naruto?" she was somewhat worried.

"Up-upstairs..."

"What happened?!"

"Oi dobe, you alright?"

"B-b-b"

"B?"

"B-br-br-!" Sakura saw him getting himself together, then after a huge sigh, he said with some firmness, "Bra."

_Pervert!_

*slap*

"What was that for, Sakura!?"

"You just said 'bra' to my face!"

"I meant that I need it!"

"That's more perverted!"

He face-palmed.

"Not for me...it's the stalker..."

"Stalker?" she said with some excitement. She caught her tongue too late. Naruto's eyes had already narrowed down in suspicion. What up with him lately? Slight irritation tugged her brain. She brushed it aside. Yup first things first.

"What's up, dobe?"

The environment was entirely different. She could feel the air charged with chakra.

"What are YOU doing here Teme?!" it was more of a growl.

"We are here to heal you, dobe" Though Sasuke sounded calm, she could see the back of his neck reddening.

"I don't need help..."

"Don't deny..."

"ummmm, boys?"

They were always at each others throats...and they were supposed to be '_best friends'_!

"What happened?" she asked, and finally Naruto yielded some answers.

"I had a break-in. Upstairs. There's a girl in my bedro-" he stopped mid-sentence. Maybe it was the grin her face had that made him stop. Maybe it was the perverse turn his thoughts had taken as soon as he'd spoken those words. Or both.

As Sakura ascended the steps, the signs of battle were obvious. There were some scrapes and pieces of burnt clothing on the floorboard. She looked questioningly at Naruto, who was following silently. Behind him Sasuke walked in the same demeanor (_Why was his sharingan active?!)_.

_So what had happened exactly? _

They walked till his bedroom door.

She could hear the war going inside...

Shouts and struggles, screams and thuds.

Then something hit the door from inside. She watched Naruto rub his forehead in distaste at his clone's memory. One of the clones inside shouted 'Kage bushin no jutsu'. And after minutes of some snarling, thuds and poofs there was silence. Which was not really complete. It was constantly penetrated by sounds which sounded something like frustrated hisses.

She touched the door knob and was slightly pissed by the fact that her hands were sweating. She looked at Naruto for signal. He nodded.

"You shouldn't..."

"Sasuke...I'm going to be fine."

He looked at her sternly, unyielding. After some staring competition, he sighed.

She wiped her hand and proceeded.

The room was lighted by the only surviving light bulb; others had been furiously smashed. And the bed contained the prisoner. Even she reddened at the size of the breasts. Nearly close to Tsunade-sama...

Going back to professionalism:-

"What's the blindfold doing there?"

"She had it on." That was. Strange. Before she could take another step toward the intruder her arm was grabbed by her team mate's firm arm. He shook his head.

"You shouldn't get near her." Both of them said and as a proof the girl hissed at her.

"Now what?"

"Wait" he releases her arm and his hand became limp at his sides. "I'll try something."

She couldn't sense anything, but apparently the girl could. She calmed down and became limp. A second later she could feel what _she_ was feeling. _Sage mode._

"Why did you follow me?"

There were no answers. She tried to sit up and Naruto let her; the clones disappeared. He walked near with confidence. The girl cocked her head towards him expecting something. He put a hand on her shoulder and the girl flinched.

"Are you alright?"

The girl nodded.

"Now," he said facing them, "why the hell are you here?"

Two cups of instant ramen. That's all he offered. But since it was Naruto, it was surprising that he'd offered anything at all.

And they sat at an impasse.

"I'm not" the blonde said. Smug face. Two minutes had passed already...

"Naruto...we are trying to HELP you."

"I'm not –"

"I KNOW THAT YOU ARE INJURED! SO SHUT UP AND LET ME HELP!"

"I DON'T NEED-!"

"Sasuke! Get him!"

There was a flurry of activity in the dining room then. Sasuke lunged towards the fleeing blonde. Naruto, anticipating Sasuke's attack, threw a round-about kick at his face. Something must've broken, because there was a sickening crunch. Sasuke caught Naruto's retreating ankle. And electricity paralyzed Naruto to the floor.

_10 minutes later.._.

"Does it hurt?" The pink haired kunoichi asked Sasuke.

_Of course!_

His nose had been pulverized by Naruto's heel some minutes ago! How could it not pain?! But his pain was gradually fading as Sakura's chakra flooded his tissues. He could feel them envelope every damaged fiber. He could feel them healing. It was unlike Kabuto's harsh chakra .It was a strange sensation. Feeling her chakra on his body...the cozy, humming feel...the same way you feel in a nicely tucked bed.

_Warm..._

Sakura removed her hand. The loss of warmth was a little too sudden for him. The loss pained. But he didn't let regret show on his face. He was too proud for that...

She looked at him keenly with the eye of a medic.

"That's done. Now Naruto..."she said turning to the blonde, who at the moment was bound, gagged and had his chakra temporarily sealed.

"YOU mister! Are in trouble!" she stomped her way to the couch, beside which Naruto lay.

She rolled up his tee. A huge round scar showed chakra burn. It was just above his navel. The fourth's seal was visible.

He muffled something which sounded like 'I can do it myself'. His doctor's vein bulged.

"It's chakra poisoning. Your 'other' chakra can't heal this." She poked and pried here and there a little. The wound was sensitive. That was a huge amount of chakra burn.

"How the hell did you get this?" she pulled out the gag.

"Mission."

Blood pumped to her head. She shouldn't be angry when her body was in such condition...

"Not 'where'. 'How'" the kunoichi demanded. Naruto thought a little.

He scowled a bit and sighed.

"I'm not telling."

"You must be losing your edge, Naruto. For someone to attack you at close range..."mocked the Uchiha.

"Teme..."the blonde said, the word sounded more of a growl.

"Boys? Would you calm down? And let me work?"

She brought a bowl of water, carefully moulded it into a large globule in the palm of her hand. She placed it carefully over Naruto wound. And pushed it inside gradually.

"What the-!"

"This is chakra poisoning Naruto. There is foreign chakra lodged inside your wound interfering with the working of you natural chakra. It works the same way as poisoning. So I'm using the same method to take it out. Just pray that this chakra has affinity to water."

She pushed it until only a small part of the globule remained out. And slowly pulled it out. The globule of water now contained a sphere of chakra. Sakura took out a scroll.

"What are you doing?" he may have sounded calm. but he wasn't.

"I'm taking this chakra for analysis. I wanna know the person who was quick enough to hurt you."

"It was _her._" He snapped the remaining bonds, "Why are you guys here anyway?"

"To heal you, of course."

"You've done that. Now let yourself out."

"Behave, dobe!" Sasuke growled. "She came here even with her condition."

"Touché" grinned Naruto. Kami! The growling and glaring thing was starting again.

"Calm down! Now what the hell are we gonna do with her!" she pointed to the dark-haired girl sitting on the couch. The girl sat staring straight ahead, her knees folded between her arms and her head resting in her knees...the very picture of insecurity. She'd checked up on all the girl's vitals. Everything was alright but wrong at the same time. The girl was around fifteen or sixteen, in perfect physical condition...but her mind...her first concern was that the girl couldn't talk.

"I've already reported it to baa-Chan."

**A/n: So how was it? please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A\N: **

**Dear readers,  
Here's your writer trying to right her wrongs. Mention goes to the name 'Jei'. Please do not confuse it with the character 'j' in Naruto. When I say 'Jei' I'm referring to the jay bird. For your convenience I shall be using the English word 'Jay'.  
900+ hits! Thank you guys! (*tears of joy*)**

**Chapter 4: Hinata Hyuga**.

She peeled the surgical gloves and threw them in bins saying 'biohazard'.  
*sigh*  
"Tsunade-sama, are you all right?" her ever faithful assistant was, as always, worried about her. A '_second mother'_ type character. Everybody had one.  
"Its okay, Shizune. I'm just exhausted." Mentally and emotionally. She had just seen nine deaths before her eyes._  
_She sighed again (It seemed to be turning into a habit)  
"I'm getting old." she mumbled, too low for her companion to hear. It was already past twelve. The idea of '_calling it a day'_ crossed her mind as she walked to the room meant for her (torture). The towers of paperwork on her desk must have risen in her absence.  
_Why did I even take the job?!  
_She opened the door to her room...and lo behold! The answer.  
"Naruto?"  
He was still in his ANBU uniform, but his mask was lying in her desk. She knew this scenario. This couldn't be happening..._again._  
If she weren't so exhausted she would have punched him through a wall. She was too tired to even yell.  
She sighed (bad habit!), walked towards her desk and plopped down on her chair.

A jay's mask stared at her from her desk.  
Before he could open that mouth and before he gave his reasons...  
"The answer is, no, I won't relieve you of your ANBU duty."  
"But I-!"  
"I know you did something stupid..." _probably leaving out an enemy..._ "But that isn't an excuse!"  
"It's just that-!"  
She stopped him with the '_look_' of her eye. She was used to these so called '_tantrums_'. There was a good reason why she'd decided to make him her personal ANBU. This way she could keep him under her watch. And keep Danzou miles away from Naruto.  
*sigh*  
"what is it?"

The hokage felt herself zone in and out of concentration as Naruto explained his '_excuse_'...  
He was talking about a boy following him here. Well that could be explained. Naruto had a sort of 'drawing in' character..._  
_  
"...she followed me here..." that was what the ANBU was saying when she finally got her concentration back. Something was wrong...  
"I thought it was a boy..."  
"The girl had a transformation seal, ok! How was I-!"  
"Understood. Now admit it, Naruto."  
"Ok, saving her was my mistake."  
"Not that."  
"Then what?"  
"Sympathy. And compassion."  
"I admit it. But I thought he was a boy in trouble. Not a girl." His cheeks looked something of a tomato.  
"And evidently, perverseness as well."  
"You can't blame me. She was half naked when the transformation seal burned." He was officially a tomato.  
"Maybe it was your fault that she was half naked."  
"Yeah. He fought with me, ok. I mean she- he- she...Kami! This is confusing."  
"Naruto! Calm the fuck down. There's a naked girl in your bedroom, so what. You are nineteen."  
"Baa-Chan!" Red hot cheeks. Tsunade smiled at his antics. He could be such a child, without the mask that is. She looked at his mask on her desk.  
"I don't know why you want to keep this a secret." Only few knew about Jay's existence. And fewer knew about the identity beneath the mask. People would probably freak out if they knew that the village Jinchuuriki was an ANBU, "You could tell your friends. They could help you with your little 'problem'."  
She saw his jaw tighten as she said this. He wasn't gonna get convinced so easily. And she wasn't a master in 'talk no jutsu'. But one day, one fine day she's gonna change his mind.  
"Never. She's hostile towards everybody."  
"Except you."  
"She's crazy. I don't even know why she's following me."  
"She's fond of you then." Her mouth split into a too wide grin.  
"Evidently" he said stiff, awkward, embarrassed.  
"How bout she help you in 'restoration'..."her grin was widening to dangerous levels.  
"Baa-Chan!"  
"Kidding. But you must understand Naruto...that compassion is a positive feeling..."  
"It is dangerous in my field of work..."

They stared at each other. Both unyielding to each other's wishes. Damn! She wished she had better grasp in 'talk no jutsu'. How could she revive his positive outlook of things? But then again she was the one who had offered him his position as ANBU...it was for his protection but...  
She loudly cleared her throat.  
"Going back to business...so...we have a girl stalking you back from Otokagure...in the disguise of a boy."  
"Yea."  
"She's probably a test subject. But of less importance than the bottled ones." Her nose wrinkled in distaste as she remembered her failure with the specimens, "We have to investigate a bit before we come to any further conclusion. Give present status of the subject."

"She's about sixteen. Dark haired. Perfect physical conditions...according to Sakura..."

"She knows?"

"You are the one who sent her to my place." he narrowed his eyes, "anyway. She helped. "

"So what are we gonna do?"

"You are the HOKAGE!"

"And you are the next in line."

"I'll never..."

Tsunade sighed. She was too old for this shit. Why couldn't she drop the hat and disappear into the world of gambling and hot springs. She'd counted on the blonde before her to save her form this god awful situation...then Naruto had changed his ambition.

*sigh*

Yeah. She was getting old.  
"So we have a new addition to the village. She seems harmless. I'll enter her in the register. Does she have a name?"  
"Name?"  
the ANBU narrowed his eyes and he opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out.

"You didn't ask?"  
_How stupid! Why hadn't he asked?_  
"She couldn't talk" it came out like a question.  
He wasn't sure. She'd shown no signs of power of speech.

Some blocks away his clone walked up to the girl huddled in the corner of his kitchen. It had been hours since his friends had left. He had tried to feed the girl. After some struggles and minor furniture damage (and some damage to his groin), he had given up. Now she lay huddled in the corner, like a frightened animal.  
"What is your name?" he said as soft as possible.

The blindfold was still over her eyes, but she turned towards him. There was some silence, and then finally she gave her answer.

"Hinata."

"that's not possible!"

**Flash back. some minutes ago...  
**

The hokage was having a shitty day. One must admit that almost all the days were 'shitty' for the hokage...but this just topped. But it wasn't just the hokage. Every medic in the room with her was troubled. How could they not be...there was a bulging vein in her forehead. It was obviously not a good sign for their job and health. The hokage shouted at them to 'hurry'...as if they already weren't... They scuttled here and there and flared their chakra.  
They had twelve emergency cases. All at the same time. They were pumping chakra like water and nothing was happening. Seven had died. Others had little chance. Why wouldn't they? These weren't normal beings. These bodies had grown up in controlled environment...inside glass bottles.

"Dammit!" the Hokage's temper was rising. And so was the probability of losing their job. The hokage was bending over some injured female subject.  
"Breathe!" she hissed. But the body before her hand disobediently stayed still. The heart beneath her hands were slowing.  
"Breathe!" she hissed again. But the body before her was like a naughty child; doing exactly opposite of what was told to it. This time the heart thudded to a stop.  
"Hokage-sama! She's...She's!"Ah! Shizune. She didn't need to hear Shizune's words to know that she'd failed. She'd failed as a medic. As a hokage.  
"Damn! Orochimaru!" she gave up. She was just trying to reanimate a corpse. From the very beginning the specimens had little chance of survival.

Stolen and packed off like a good to Kumo. Then somehow Orochimaru had got his hands on her. _So the rumours of them working together were true...  
_She sighed at the tragedy. She felt so many things: anger, sympathy, remorse...but she couldn't sulk over one death. This was a fucking shinobi village. There were hundreds of deaths. A hokage couldn't fuss over one death.

She brought her exhausted hands to the girl's eyelids and pulled them down pupil less eyes.

The missing Hinata Hyuga. Now apparently dead.

She looked around. A case on her extreme left demanded attention. She scooted over and started exercising her expertise. And her expertise wasn't enough. The body beneath her was failing. _Another. Fucking. Failure_.

"Hokage-sama! It's ready!"  
_What? What's ready?_  
She looked at the man who had uttered these words.  
_Oh! The chemist._  
She'd given instructions to analyze the solution in which the specimens were suspended and to duplicate it.  
"Everybody! Get to work!" what was the point? Everybody was already working.

Three fucking specimens. Only three had survived. A seven or eight year old boy and two babies. Two _fucking_ babies!  
_Orochimaru! You sadist!_  
She stared at the bottled wonders for a minute. She could sympathise, regret, get angry... but a Hokage had no such time.  
"Keep them under supervision." She said as she walked out the doors.

**A\N: so how was it? Comments? complains? Questions? Should the next chapter have a council meeting? Please vote.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A\N: **

**Konichii wa Minna-san! Here's another chapter! since no one commented on my question in the last chapter I'll be ********(partially)**skipping the council meeting scene.

**My thanks goes to: 0BoozeHound0, Hinatalicious, Black's Wolfgirl22, Aidivni, Ayrmed, Collaboration of Ravengers, JMarieAllenPoe, Jormungandr1994, .Boss305, MschifSantos, P5yCH0, SasuHina FTW, Shadow Vortex 632, aegis Zero, fiendfire25, Rich95, Silent cresecndo.**

**Another round of thanks goes to: Futago-za07, Lord Anubis Judge Of The Dead (Pretty impressive name ^ 3 ^), big tank, kally kal, wolf moon30.**

**keys:**

normal talk.  
_thoughts and things with emphasis._

* * *

A man sat in the privacy of his room, sealed with privacy seals. He belonged to a clan with all-seeing eyes. And to live in a house full of those, such seals were needed. The Hyuga head was weeping; a disgraceful act for a Hyuga. A photograph of three stared back at him from his hand. Him, his wife and...

_Hinata..._

'We have a bad news and a good news Hiashi.' The hokage had said in a personal meeting with him some hours ago.  
'We retrieved your daughter.' She had looked away and made him sense that something was definitely wrong. She had deliberately cut him off from reading her eyes. This was the bad news. He knew what it was. He'd already given hope.  
'An ANBU found her in a raid at Orochimaru's hide out. We retrieved her but...' he had wanted to scream at her to stop. He had known for many years...that his daughter...  
'She passed away yesterday night in the local hospital. Her body was used to a controlled environment. When we took her out of it...her immune system couldn't cope up.'  
But he'd always know that his daughter had a weak body. She had returned, but her body had failed her. He had looked unblinking at the Hokage. The hokage, in return had scanned his face for emotions. She gave up after a while. Her failure showing through a sigh.  
'You don't seem affected.'  
He had nodded.

He had made the mistake of seeing her body when the hokage had given him the chance to. Lying limp, thin as a stick. His dead daughter. A normal father would have cried on the spot. But he was a Hyuga. A head none-the-less. He needed the privacy of his room to do that.

'Do you want the body...?' her question still ringed in his ears.

_What was the use?_ His daughter had been dead to him since a very long time.

'No' he had replied.

'But we have another thing to offer you.' She had said.  
He had felt wary at that time, as he was feeling even now. She had stared down: she was hiding something.  
'Are you aware of DNA cloning?' the term itself was self-explanatory. He had nodded at that time.  
'We found something which seems to be a genetic clone of your daughter. We are talking of an actual genetic clone, creature that is genetically the same as your daughter and has an actual soul of its own.'  
He had stared and stared.  
He had appealed for immediate actions against Kumo. But there seemed to be no evidence against it. The Hokage wanted to investigate further and take any necessary actions. After the investigation was over, the clone would be handed over to the Hyuga if deemed fit.

Coming back to the present he looked at the photograph again. How could he accept a lab-rat? According to the hokage, the subject was blind.

A blind Hyuga.

* * *

"This is a dangerous mission, ok?" he said to his friend beside him as he opened the main door to his home.  
"Ok!" she replied. A little too loud for their safety.  
"How bout you quiet down a little?" he hissed at the Yamanaka.

This was enemy area. _She_ could be anywhere. He saw _her_ through his clone...good; she was still in the kitchen. Rummaging through the refrigerator like a bear!  
_Shit! The groceries!  
_ Some giant steps and he finally entered the kitchen with a perky Yamanaka trailing behind him.

"Ahh!" The milk was spilling, and the celery and the half bitten aubergines! Nooooo!  
_What the hell was her name? Something to do with the sun...the sun..._

"Hinataaaaa!" he called out after finally getting it.

He yanked her away, ready to feel pain if she lashed out. But she stayed silent as if waiting to be scolded. Her interest seemed to be perked up by the new presence. She cocked her ear towards Yamanaka highlighting her excellent hearing.  
After being sure that she was safe enough, he led her to the couch. She sat only when told to sit.

"So this is your new pet."

_Pet? How could one compare this girl to a pet? Pets didn't give their masters holes in the abdomen._

"What makes you say that?"  
"She's obedient...and...submissive." she wiggled her eyebrows, giving him a sly smile.  
_Now what the hell was the woman saying? Had he missed a joke? _

After some seconds of her grinning and Naruto's 'gaping at her like a fish', she understood that her friend had missed the obvious implication.  
The blindfold was the most notable thing along with her...err...breasts. She raised her hand to the blindfold. The next second she found Naruto's hand acting as an obstacle. The grip was painful. He was watching her with huge wary eyes.

"She doesn't like that..."

_He already knew her likes and dislikes? How fast!_

She smiled to herself. This had the potential of being the top gossip of the week. Hell, it might also top the month.  
"Ok..." she slapped her hand on the girl's head, and luckily, she didn't protest.

The first feeling she felt was..._hurt._

_Her eyes hurt._

So did her body.  


The light pressed through her eyelids, lightening the blood vessels in it. It turned into a bright red curtain. It was a strange experience. After all, she wasn't here physically. But the experience was real; the hurt in her eyes was real.  
The bright red curtain slid up to reveal even brighter circles of light. The feel of steel beneath her body and the heavy stench of anesthetics told her she was lying on an operation table. The smell was realistic. She even expected some doctors and medics to hover over her head. She looked to her left. She looked to her right.  
Scenery was absent.  
White. Bland. Vacant. Naked.  
What a strange mind.

Inside the mind of the other, a Yamanaka's aim was to roam about in the mind-scape, seeing all that could be seen, hearing all that could be heard, and feeling all that could be felt. The mind-scape is the reflection of one's thought and thinking. It was also a reflection of ones life. A Yamanaka knew how to use that to the fullest of extent. A secret plan. The location of enemy base. Even a wife's dirty little secret. Nothing could be hidden.

She stared back at the lights. The white was burning holes at the back of her eye sockets. She closed her eyelids: the bright red curtain.  
A Yamanaka always expected different people to have different mindscapes. But this...this _nothingness..._ was certainly unexpected... This _nothingness_ unnerved her. She was sure that even a baby's mindscape wouldn't be this bland.

She breathed in the environment.

_The smell of anesthetic._

Heavy. Nauseating.

That was all that this girl's mind contained. These were symptoms, though she couldn't be sure...but it pointed to the fact that someone rather talented had made a habit of frequently burning off the girl's memory. That was a plausible reason for the strange personality the girl carried. After all, a person's personality is based on his past memories.

Her limit was reached. She felt her body tug back her consciousness. But she wanted to explore more. The whiteness had intimidated her. She hadn't even tried to sit up and see around. Next time she'd be roaming in these white endless halls. Yes. Next time. Definitely next time.

Her consciousness was pulled back like stretched elastic by her consciousness hungry body. The chakra exhaustion snapped back as a major headache. The one where your head throbbed like a drum. She must've lost consciousness because she woke up lying in the in the couch. Its former inhabitant was on the floor, sprawled across unconscious. The blind fold was still on. A shadow hovered over her... 'end of tunnel' voices.

"Naruto?" her own voice sounded too loud and harsh on her ears.

"Who else?" came the reply, "Drink this." He shoved a hissing drink in her hands. The cool bitter taste completely woke her up. But did nothing for her headache.

"What was inside?" _What?! That unconcerned bastard._

"What was inside?" he repeated again. No wonder he was Sakura's punching bag.

"An operation table."

"That's it?"

"Yea."

"Is that even possible?"

"Not naturally. But I've a theory. I'll report it to Hokage-sama."


End file.
